Two Types: The Faces of Britain

Luke Freeman
Luke Freeman Posts: 61
in History of Typography
We are surrounded by types, the words on signs, buses, shops and documents which guide us through our lives. Two types in particular are regarded as the faces of Britain - Johnston and Gill Sans. Their story is told by typeface expert Mark Ovenden.

Watch it here for 29 days
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0903ppd/two-types-the-faces-of-britain
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Comments

  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    "BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues."
    (Firing up "Hide My IP"...)
  • Luke Freeman
    Luke Freeman Posts: 61
    I could suggest other methods, but some may not be happy. — Maybe someone will upload to youtube
  • Nick Shinn
    Nick Shinn Posts: 2,216
    Dear me, whatever happened to poor old Caslon?!
  • Simon Cozens
    Simon Cozens Posts: 752
    I think I spotted Bruno Maag in the BBC Sans section.
  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    edited August 2017
    Try as I might I can't get around BBC's IP snooping... It seems they adamantly don't want to spread the cultural wealth, even if it costs them nothing.

    Being an Armenian who grew up in Lebanon I've already paid the UK the equivalent of way more than TV licensing fees :-/ so I wouldn't at all mind watching an "unauthorized" recording. Maybe host it in Beqaa Valley.
  • Peiran Tan
    Peiran Tan Posts: 22
    Gah! Where did the Fell types go?
  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    So thanks to a kind digital guerrilla warrior I was able to watch it.
    Nick Shinn said:
    Dear me, whatever happened to poor old Caslon?!
    Actually Caslon is in the show!
  • KP Mawhood
    KP Mawhood Posts: 296
    Hrant H. Papazian said:
    Try as I might I can't get around BBC's IP snooping... It seems they adamantly don't want to spread the cultural wealth, even if it costs them nothing.
    It's a pretty recent thing isn't it? They're mostly targeting UK TV Licensing, following funding cuts. But, agreed – they ought to figure something out for other counties.
  • Deleted Account
    Deleted Account Posts: 739
    Oh, I suppose funding cuts could justify font piracy too than.
  • KP Mawhood
    KP Mawhood Posts: 296
    Who doesn't want to be a kind guerrilla warrior? It just sounds so philanthropic.
  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    edited August 2017
    D. Epar ted said:
    Oh, I suppose funding cuts could justify font piracy too than.
    Sure. It depends to how much protectionism the recipient of the funding cut stoops. It's all give-and-take, and Legal and Moral are not really friends. The French Revolution was illegal too.
  • Nick Cooke
    Nick Cooke Posts: 201
    Funding cuts? We all pay a license fee. You know, like a subscription. 
  • KP Mawhood
    KP Mawhood Posts: 296
    2016 White Paper on the BBC's future, w/ three main issues:
    • Money: will the licence fee continue and how much will it be?
    • Governance: who runs the BBC?
    • Distinctiveness
    2016 Government white paper
    BBC's response to Government white paper

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